Edgy MD

It's a strange day when Mike Piazza straddling a train is the third-gayest cover.

I'm sorry I didn't pick a better Soul Asylum song.

A day after the Ponies bested the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4-1, New Hampshire returned the favor by same score. The karmic payabck leaves Binghamton in third place in the Eastern League Eastern Division, a mere 1.5 games off the pace. is anybody finally starting to hit? Well, infielder and minor league vet Sam Haggerty has been swinging a nice stick the last few games, checking in at .290 / .333 / .419 // .753 through the first seven games, leading the team with two steals, and playing error-free defense at second. Making few errors on the mound has been Michael "Gib" Gibbons. Injured and/or ineffective through 2016 and 2017, The Gibster finally got his career back on track last season, and has been rock solid in this first two starts this year, throwing 11 innings and racking up 13 strikeouts against only four walks. It all ads up to a 2.45 ERA for the Connecticutian, who turns 26 next week. But, when you're workdays are as short as they have been in the early part of the season for the Rumble Ponies, you better have good penmanship. And some of the best of that has been provided by the right arm of Joseph Zanghi. Jay-Z has been unscored upom through ihs first 5 2/3 innings out of the pen, striking out six and dispersing only seven baserunners — four by hit, two by walk, and one plunked. You're thinking, "Only seven games so far? What the fuck is up with that?" I can literally hear you thinking that. Well, the truth is that spring in the northeast can be a wet prospect. The team recently survived an eight-game stretch with seven of the games being canceled due to inclement weather, soggy fields, chafed buttocks, you name it. It was actually eight of nine if you count one game that they started but pulled the plug on after a few innings. So if you're thinking that there's not much new happening with a week in betwen reports — few games and zero transactions — well, that's not on me. The torrid action continues tomorrow with the tie-breaking finale of the New Hampshire home serie at M&T BAnk Parks. Future Mets rotation fixture David Peterson will take the mound against Zach Logue, who I think played a dashing young rogue in the Australian soap opera Neighbors. ("Logue the Rogue," they called him.) It'll be We Care Wednesday, with a chunk of proceeds going to local social service organizations. Visit the Rumble Ponies site to make sure your ticket is purchased through the right process to maximize the donations, or something. YOUR Binghamton Rumble Ponies Coaching Staff [th]Position Group[/th][th] Manager[/th][th]Bench Coach[/th][th]Pitching Coach[/th][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Kevin Boles[/td90][td90]Ender Chavez[/td90][td90]Jonathan Hurst[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]1/16/75[/td90][td90]3/9/81[/td90][td90]10/22/66[/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]Hitting Coach[/th][th]Athletic Trainer[/th][th]Strength/ Cond. Coach[/th][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Tony Jaramillo[/td90][td90]Kiyoshi Tada[/td90][td90]Kory Wan[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]1/16/75[/td90][td90]??/??/??[/td90][td90]8/4/92[/td90] YOUR Binghamton Rumble Ponies [th]Position Group[/th][th]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/660874/t507/180x270/660874.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/660874/t507/180x270/660874.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/656083/generic/180x270/656083.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/656083/generic/180x270/656083.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/641743/t3705/180x270/641743.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/641743/t3705/180x270/641743.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/607391/generic/180x270/607391.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/607391/generic/180x270/607391.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/656849/t3705/180x270/656849.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/656849/t3705/180x270/656849.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Mike Gibbons[/td90][td90]Harol Gonzalez[/td90][td90]Anthony Kay[/td90][td90]Chris Mazza[/td90][td90]David Peterson[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]4/24/93[/td90][td90]3/2/95[/td90][td90]3/21/95[/td90][td90]1/17/89[/td90][td90]9/3/95[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]L/L[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]L/L[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td90]rp[/td90][td90]rp[/td90][td90]rp[/td90][td90]rp[/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Rule 5 Draftee[/td90][td90]On 40- Man Roster[/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/657518/t3705/180x270/657518.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/657518/t3705/180x270/657518.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/572958/t498/180x270/572958.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/572958/t498/180x270/572958.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/668665/generic/180x270/668665.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/668665/generic/180x270/668665.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/656924/generic/180x270/656924.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/656924/generic/180x270/656924.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/624575/t507/180x270/624575.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/624575/t507/180x270/624575.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Matt Blackham[/td90][td90]Zack Jones[/td90][td90]Stephen Nogosek[/td90][td90]Ryder Ryan[/td90][td90]Joshua Torres[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]1/7/93[/td90][td90]12/4/90[/td90][td90]1/11/95[/td90][td90]5/11/95[/td90][td90]4/26/94[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td90]sp[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]sp[/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#008000] Catcher[/th][th]=#008000] Catcher[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/642637/t505/180x270/642637.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/642637/t505/180x270/642637.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/676644/t453/180x270/676644.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/676644/t453/180x270/676644.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/642236/generic/180x270/642236.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/642236/generic/180x270/642236.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/664850/t507/180x270/664850.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/664850/t507/180x270/664850.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/662145/generic/180x270/662145.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/662145/generic/180x270/662145.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Adonis Uceta[/td90][td90]Stephen Villines[/td90][td90]Joseph Zanghi[/td90][td90]Patrick Mazeika[/td90][td90]Ali Sanchez[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]5/10//94[/td90][td90]7/15/95[/td90][td90]12/1/94[/td90][td90]10/14/93[/td90][td90]1/20/97[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#008000]Catcher[/td90][td90]=#008000]Catcher[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td90]sp[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]1b[/td90][td90]1b, rf[/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#BF80FF] Infielder[/th][th]=#BF80FF] Infielder[/th][th]=#BF80FF] Infielder[/th][th]=#BF80FF] Infielder[/th][th]=#BF80FF] Infielder[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/570489/generic/180x270/570489.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/570489/generic/180x270/570489.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/665926/t505/180x270/665926.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/665926/t505/180x270/665926.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/664059/generic/180x270/664059.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/664059/generic/180x270/664059.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/669686/generic/180x270/669686.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/669686/generic/180x270/669686.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/657780/generic/180x270/657780.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/657780/generic/180x270/657780.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Arismeny Alcantara[/td90][td90]Andrés Giménez[/td90][td90]Sam Haggerty[/td90][td90]Michael Paez[/td90][td90]Will Tofffey[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]10/29/91[/td90][td90]9/4/98[/td90][td90]5/26/94[/td90][td90]12/8/94[/td90][td90]7/4/00[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]S/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]S/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td90]=#BF80FF]Second Base[/td90][td90]=#BF80FF]Shortstop[/td90][td90]=#BF80FF]Second Base[/td90][td90]=#BF80FF]Second Base[/td90][td90]=#BF80FF]Second Base[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td90]ss, rf, cf, lf, 3b[/td90][td90]2b[/td90][td90]3b, ss[/td90][td90]ss[/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/608627/t484/180x270/608627.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/608627/t484/180x270/608627.jpg[/td90][td90]http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/664842.jpghttp://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/players/head_shot/664842.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/607249/t512/180x270/607249.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/607249/t512/180x270/607249.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/657658/generic/180x270/657658.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/657658/generic/180x270/657658.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/623188/generic/180x270/623188.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/623188/generic/180x270/623188.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Barrett Barnes[/td90][td90]Kevin Kaczmarski[/td90][td90]Jason Krizan[/td90][td90]Braxton Lee[/td90][td90]Dario Pizzano[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]7/29/91[/td90][td90]12/31/91[/td90][td90]6/28/89[/td90][td90]8/23/93[/td90][td90]4/25/91[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]L/R[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td90]=#4080FF]Left Field[/td90][td90]=#4080FF]Right Field[/td90][td90]=#4080FF]Right Field[/td90][td90]=#4080FF]Center Field[/td90][td90]=#4080FF]Left Field[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td90]cf, rf[/td90][td90]lf, cf[/td90][td90]2b, 1b, 3b[/td90][td90]rf, lf[/td90][td90]1b, rf[/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90] Inactive [th]Position Group[/th][th]=#FF40BF]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF0000]Starting Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/th][th]=#008000] Catcher[/th][td90][/td90][td60]http://www.milb.com/images/595263/t505/180x270/595263.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/595263/t505/180x270/595263.jpg[/td60][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/642584/generic/180x270/642584.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/642584/generic/180x270/642584.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/670041/generic/180x270/670041.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/670041/generic/180x270/670041.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/595389/t505/180x270/595389.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/595389/t505/180x270/595389.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/681877/t506/180x270/681877.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/681877/t506/180x270/681877.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td60]Mickey Jannis[/td60][td90]Franklyn Kilomé[/td90][td90]Austin McGeorge[/td90][td90]David Roseboom[/td90][td90]Phil Capra[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td60]12/16/87[/td60][td90]6/25/95[/td90][td90]11/27/94[/td90][td90]5/17/92[/td90][td90]10/1/96[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td60]R/R[/td60][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]L/L[/td90][td90]S/R[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td60]=#FF40BF]Starting Pitcher[/td60][td90]=#BF80FF]Starting Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#FF8000]Relief Pitcher[/td90][td90]=#008000]Catcher[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td60]rp[/td60][td90]rp[/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90][/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]On 7-Day IL[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]On 7-Day IL[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]On 7-Day IL[/td90][td90]In Extended Spring Training[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]On 7-Day IL[/td90][th]Position Group[/th][th]=#00BF00] Catcher[/th][th]=#4080FF] Outfielder[/th][td90][/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/601707/generic/180x270/601707.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/601707/generic/180x270/601707.jpg[/td90][td90]http://www.milb.com/images/622199/t1350/180x270/622199.jpghttp://www.milb.com/images/622199/t1350/180x270/622199.jpg[/td90][td90]Name[/td90][td90]Dustin Houle[/td90][td90]Alfredo Escalera[/td90][td90]DoB[/td90][td90]11/9/93[/td90][td90]2/17/95[/td90][td90]B/T[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]R/R[/td90][td90]Primary Position[/td90][td90]=#008000]Catcher[/td90][td90]=#4080FF]Left Field[/td90][td90]Other Positions[/td90][td90][/td90][td90]cf, rf[/td90][td90]Status Notes[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]On 7-Day IL[/td90][td90]=#FF0000]On 7-Day IL[/td90]

To add insult to injury, a four-inning save.

Matz crumbled under the pressure of bad defense is about the shortest summary I can give. "We're happy to report that Ronny's surgical procedure went well, and Ron, if you're watching tonight, we just want to say ... we hope you're not watching tonight."

Stiff neck. There's a good chance that we'll see Vargas working out of the pen tonight, perhaps auditioning for his Met life.

By my math, the Mets gave the Phils eight outs that inning.

Mickey's shoehorning guys into the wrong position is catching up with him.

You see what you did, Matz? You broke Nimmo!

Wow. An out at this point would be a novelty.

This is a stinkburger of an inning, man.

Matzy's defense doing him no favors, but then he makes that feeling-sorry-for-himself face and gives up a three-run bomb to Kingery. Don't make that face! Five-zip.

How about Matz, hurting the batter and the catcher with one pitch?

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Isn't that Kaz Matsui? It's always a revelation to discover some athletes are deeply reflective and despite being great at a thing for most of their lives, can still feel inadequate and insufficient. How supremely racist of me. I googled photos of JWS, and just then, my baby says to mow the lawn, and I quickly post what looked like the most interesting shot and head out to do some landscaping. It was so interesting, he isn't even Korean. I should be banned for five days.

So this was the position player lineup at the end of the game last night: Ramos, c Smith, 1b Cano, 2b McNeil, 3b Rosario, ss Nimmo, lf Lagares, cf Conforto, rf The Mets had burned all of their position players. I used to love wars of attrition, because Davy Johnson was great at them, but back then, a game became a war of attrition in the 14th or 15th inning. Now, if a game goes 10 or 11 innings, both managers have their backs to the wall, with all their pinch hitters and most of their bullpen burned. Thus it was in the top of the 10th last night. After the Mets had burned Travis d'Arnaud, their last pinch-hitter, they had Smith up at the plate. After taking strike three to end the inning, Smitty angrily spiked his helmet. Now, I love just about everything Dom has brought to the table this season, and it makes me want to go out and buy myself a CPAP mask. And I agree that the pitch looked low. But that spike was dumb, and it probably should have been an instant ejection. Lance Barksdale, perhaps seeing instant regret in Smith's eyes, or perhaps not wanting to impetuously throw the game to the Phils by leaving the Mets a man short, spared him. My question: If Smith gets tossed there, what defensive alignment do you come out with the next inning? You have four available starting pitchers to put into the game. Jason Vargas is probably the best hitter, and the least precious as an asset. Jacob deGrom is probably the best athlete, and best equipped to acquit himself on defense, but the most precious as an asset. Steven Matz is probably a pretty decent compromise of the two, in the hitting sense, in the fielding sense, in the preciousness sense. An Zach Wheeler probably looks the most like a Major League first-baseman. So who do you pick? And once you pick him, where do you put him? Almost always, if you're forced to put pitcher on defense, it's a corner outfield spot for him. But I wonder why nobody ever tries to sneak a pitcher in at first, where he does what he's generally asked to do on defense — field grounders and cover first. So do you put your pitcher on one of the corners and move Conforto or Nimmo to first? Do you put him at first himself? Do you go crazy and put him at third, and maybe move McNeilio to second, and Canó to first? A whole lot of bad options there. You see what gift Barksdale gave us with his mercy.

Mets go with the same lineup as last night, while the Phils, coming off the two consecutive overtime games, sit Hoskins and Herrera. [TR][TD]https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJnhufv17a2uaG0kNi4NU3Ek-el-fkD0SAju-qIBBuSkdfmkp5nQ>[/TD][TD]https://www.philliesfansstore.com/516-home_default/tug_mcgraw_philadelphia_phillies_mitchell_and_ness_mens_replica_throwback_mlb_jersey_-_green.jpg>[/TD][/TR][TR][TD]Brandon Nimmo (L), cf Pete Alonso (R), 1b Robinson Cano (L), 2b Michael Conforto (L), rf Wilson Ramos (R), c Jeff McNeil (L), lf Amed Rosario (R), ss J.D. Davis (R), 3b Steven Matz (L), p[/TD][TD]Andrew McCutchen (R), lf Jean Segura (R), ss Bryce Harper (L), rf J.T. Realmuto (R), c Scott Kingery (R), 3b Cesar Hernandez (S), 2b Aaron Altherr (R), cf Maikel Franco (R), 1b Nick Pivetta (R), p[/TD][/TR]

It's amazing how that writing hovers between responsible journalism and adventure pulp magazine fare.

There are two types of ham: the ham-u-got and the ham-u-lack.

It may look like a sudden, spur-of-the-moment thing. But when one hatchet man goes after another in an orgy of stick-swinging, chances are the feud's been simmering for years, waiting to explode! https://www.picclickimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/uE0AAOSw2XFUgTJf/$/May-1970-Pro-Sports-Magazine-New-York-Mets-Tommie-_57.jpg> Also, while the cover delivers on its promise of some red-hot Harrelson action, it also throws in a tasty side-helping of Otis. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/A9cAAOSwCWNcK7P7/s-l1600.jpg> https://www.picclickimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/iTYAAOSwuMFUgTJw/$/May-1970-Pro-Sports-Magazine-New-York-Mets-Tommie-_57.jpg>

That's a weird text box on Pro Sports. It's like one of the Pirates (and I feel comfortable guessing that it was Richie Hebner) snuck up behind Agee and threw a ping-pong table at him while he was batting. http://leaptoad.com/mets/covers/magazines/19700500_PS.jpg>

OhmyGod, you guys, I totally heard about this on Infowars!

I stumbled across a great 2004 story from The New Yorker on the "irresolvable bitterness" of Jae-Weong Seo, that's a great narrative of an ugly, soggy Metly moment in time. The author allows the subject to credit his unhappiness less to the Mets than to a historical constant in the Korean psyche, which is almost certainly more claptrap than science, but feeds the narrative well. Amazing to isolate a single inning that was the straw that broke the camel's back — the camel being the simultaneous (and over-zealous) trades for Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano. Perhaps "great" is overstated, but historical context adds more between the lines than the author intended. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/09/06/bitternesshttps://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/09/06/bitterness http://img2.bdbphotos.com/images/orig/v/6/v6h3g6imkhsbi6kh.jpg?skj2io4l>

I'm glad Jackie Robinson's number ends up on everybody. It gives each of the players a chance to embody the virtues of Jackie Robinson. Like Reds pitcher Luis Castillo, for instance.

Stephen Matz has had a terrific start to his 2019 season and one hopes his confidence is in good condition as he takes on the Phils and tall, righthanded, iffy, third-year, make-or-break starter Nick Pivetta. [YOUTUBE]U_lGnFtKJrk[/YOUTUBE]

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2019/03/24213557/USATSI_12331982_edited-1024x683.jpg> Hello, I'm veteran National League manager Jim Riggleman. I'm now the bench coach of the New York Mets. And after working with our bench all spring on bench fundamentals (keep asses warm, no splinters, be a friend to the marginalized player), I've taken on my true challenge — being a check on the worst impulses of manager Mickey Callaway. (That, and telling the old "bench coach" joke. Man, it never gets old.) But here we are three weeks into the season, and what are we seeing: top relievers kept out of the most crucial situations, short benches, strange pitch count limits, a surfeit of pointless relievers, et al. But there have been no batting-out-of-order violations, so ... good? Yeah, the difference in Mickey's behavior hasn't exactly been glaring, but then you remember. ... I'm the Jim Riggleman with a .445 career winning percentage. I'm the Jim Riggleman who threatened to quit as Nats manager if I didn't get an extension. And when they called my bluff, I did! In mid-season! I'm the Jim Riggleman who gets all his jobs by going to work for hapless teams in hopeless seasons and being the next guy standing when the manager gets whacked. No fewer than 4 times have I taken a job as a bench coach or AAA manager, for a team coming off a losing season, and been appointed the interim manager. The Padres in 1992? I stepped in when Greg Riddoch's head rolled. The Mariners in 1998? They had the worst record in the league, and it was goodbye, John McLaren, and hello Jim Riggleman! I couldn't have picked and easier job to backdoor my way to a managership. Except I did. The 2009 Nats, man. When Manny Acta got thrown out a window by Ted Lerner with an amazing 26-61 record, I just happened to be walking down the hall! He was the youngest manager in the majors at the time, so you just knew they'd zag in the other direction and give the job to an old goat like me. But the fun continued even into last season. Bryan Price was running the Reds, and as usual, they were rounding out their pitching staff with batting practice pitchers, softball players, and (I think) bullpen catchers. So of course they started 3-15. And of course I was the bench coach standing by when they got sick of that shit. They should call me Mr. Interim. It's not the greatest legacy, but it's a legacy. How have I not managed the Marlins yet? Check the record and make sure I haven't managed the Marlins. What this all says about the prospects for the 2019 Mets, I'm not sure. I'm a vulture. I'm Jim Riggleman. Even in my brief moments of success, a cloud lingers. I'm the Jim Riggleman who looked the other way when Sammy Sosa grew into the size of a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. I'm the Jim Riggleman who rode Geremi Gonzalez his rookie year like I was Christopher Cross making a break for Mexico, only to see poor doomed Geremi go on and lose three full seasons to injuries. You want to talk about riding rookies hard? Guess which Jim Riggleman it was that enjoyed the magic of Kerry Wood's rookie year, only to keep running him out there when his UCL started swelling up, including in the playoffs. Kerry Wood! That's my bad. So now, yeah, my job is to check Micky Callaway when he's not seeing the whole picture. Or maybe, just maybe, it's to look the other way, and take over this team mid-season when Mickey blows a double switch and ends up having to use René Rivera at shortstop. That's good too. Which is it going to be? Log in and let me know.